Monday, May 31, 2010

I sewed today...not just for me. Seems like anytime I think I might have an opportunity to sew for me, someone else needs something. Today it was a gorgeous brindle Mastiff who had recently had abdominal surgery. He is so big that the cone of shame makes it difficult for him to get through doors. He is good about leaving his incision alone when his owners are home, but they both have to go back to work tomorrow, so he needed something to keep him from licking his wounds. I fashioned a shirt cover for him by cutting a t-shirt up the back, tapering it at the hem. I ran velcro down the back and added ties at the neck to secure it. The boys were working today so I did pulled pork sammies, hot german potato salad, cole slaw for dinner, with a pistachio pudding poke cake for dessert. I did manage to cut out a dress for me, so all is not lost. I work a double shift tomorrow, but there always is hope for Wednesday!

Friday, May 28, 2010

Thrift shopping takes diligence. And the patience to wait for what you want. I collect movies. I adore OLD movies. I have been looking for my favorite movie for I don't know how long. Every time I go thrift shopping or garage saling I scour old VHS tapes looking for the Holy Grail, but up I have never seen the coveted title. Until today. I almost missed it. I wandered into the Book Nook as I had a little time to kill. I didn't see any new titles in the sewing and craft section or any "free" magazines that interested me. I wandered in to check out the shelf of video tapes and I couldn't believe it when I saw "Same Time, Next Year" sitting there. I just about let out a whoop, but I didn't want to seem over enthused so the price might go up. Same Time, Next Year is a romantic comedy of sorts starring Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn. A chance meeting leads to a lifelong affair where they return to the same inn every year to see each other. I must confess I had a big crush on Alan Alda. From portraying Hawkeye Pierce in "Mash" to the "West Wing"...he always makes me smile. I find a sense of humor mighty attractive in a man, and it doesn't matter how hot someone is, life would be pretty dull without a few laughs now and again. I also picked up some other classics...Marlon Brando in "A Streetcar named Desire"; "From Here to Eternity"; and "The Blues Brothers" just because...Guess I know what I'll be watching during the Memorial Day Sew-a-thon!

My dear husband, out of the kindess of his heart and love for me, took me to see Sex and the City 2 last night. Certainly there were other (any) movies that he would have prefered to see, but he knew I really wanted to see it and was prepared to "go it alone". Plot wise it was a little over the top, but it's SATC...it's to be expected. The girls end up in Abu Dhabi, which is a LONG way from Manhattan, but I digress. The real star of the show is the fashion! My first pick for unabashed knockoff...Carrie's white opening dress:

Love this dress! I'm sure in my Burda Style archives I can find something to base my pattern from, if not find the exact dress!

Miranda's opener! Another interesting shape and lovely draping. Not exactly wild about the color for me, but that is easily changeable!

Another Miranda winner was this sheath with an interesting neck detail. In another picture I noticed it had a pleat at the waist. Must do more searching to figure this one out. I also adored the dress that Carrie wore in flight to Abu Dhabi, but I have yet to find a good photo of that one. Another dress that I thought was sensational was the newsprint dress, even though I could never wear something like that, I loved the concept and maybe I could do a newsprint as a T-shirt.

And lastly, I leave you with what I deem the WORST OUTFIT EVER (WOE!)...the Adore Dior getup.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Our Princess and Ms. Lola made it safely home to the UK, so that means regularly scheduled programs will resume. I only have a fraction of baby gear left to ship in the living room and need to spend some quality time in the studio organizing my fabric stash. We made quite a mess (okay, by we, I mean me!) pulling fabrics for maternity sewing. I still have 3 skirts to finish and I need to locate some more white rib knit...I'm sure I have some to finish the project and it doesn't help that Fabric.com is having a rocking Memorial day sale, but seriously I do not need to buy more fabric. Did I just say that? I feel like I'm choking on those words. We did use up some stuff and I am very inspired to use several pieces that have been hanging out in my stash. I'm thinking of a SWAP around England in the Fall...several pieces to mix and match that will not take much room in the suitcase, because Grandma undoubtably will come bearing gifts! In other news, one more week of working like a mad fool and my boss will be back at work...Heavenly! I miss her so much!!! And not just because it will lighten the work load! My schedule will return to normal (whatever that is!) and I can get some sewing done! More later...

Sunday, May 23, 2010

I have been one poor correspondent lately because I have been so busy dancing the dance. My daughter is returning home to England in the morning and although I know that is where she belongs and where her heart is, I can't help but feel a little melancholy for me. It doesn't help that I am reading "Traveling with Pomegranates", which is a fabulous read, but totally echos what I have been feeling during this visit. As I watch my daughter become a mother herself, it brings it home to me that my life is also changing. I didn't really feel it that much when I turned 50, but now at 51 I am mourning the loss of my youth. I really appreciate the wisdom that age and experience has brought me, but conversely I feel like my essence is drying up. Maybe I am just tired...
Since this is a sewing blog, maybe I should report on recent projects. I did some repair work the other day...BORING...and then yesterday Sara asked me to make her some maternity skirts. Using a RTW maternity skirt she brought with her, I drafted a pattern and made a couple between running to the vet with Ms. Lola for her tick and tape treatment and a dry run to the airport to make sure all is in order for her flight. I cut out 3 more, but a headache sidelined me last night and I didn't feel much better when I got up. Luckily I started feeling better so I could go to work (oh Joy!!!). I will finish the skirts and mail them with baby gear, as there are still more baby items despite filling an extra bag with just baby stuff! Tomorrow will be hard, but I will remember the good time we had together and concentrate on taking care of myself.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

May 18, 1980 8:32 a.m. Do you remember where you were and what you were doing that day? We lived in Vancouver, Washington. I worked for the Columbian Newspaper as a route manager and I was heading down Andresen hill after making sure my paperboys had delivered the Sunday paper. It was not unusual to see the mountain spouting. In fact it had become quite a regular event, so much so that it was almost routine, like "oh, it's raining again." But this eruption was unlike any of the ones that had preceded it. This was the big one that filled the sky with ash as far as the eye could see and swept debris down the hillside, leaving destruction in it's path. I hurried home and nudged my husband, who was still sleeping. My parents who lived to the North had heard what sounded like a horrible sonic boom and were frantically trying to call to make sure we were okay. The phone lines were hopelessly jammed and they didn't get through until later that day. Of course we had to go find the best vantage point for this grand spectacle. This was our playground. We used to go fish the streams and hang out at Merwin lake. The guys would ride their motorbikes all over up there. After the blast it looked like a desolate moonscape.

It seems unreal that 30 years has past. So many things have changed. I became a mother. We moved, changed jobs and went about our lives. The mountain changed too. Rebuilding, regenerating and coughing up steam now and again. The wildlife and trees have returned. So have we. We no longer play on Mt. St. Helens. We have new playgrounds. We still live in the Pacific Ring of Fire. Some day Mt. Hood could rumble back to life. I remember Pop scoffing at the reports that Mt. St. Helens was going to have a major eruption..."ah, it's never gonna happen!" The lesson here is never underestimate Mother Nature. She'll win every time.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Not too much going on in the sewing world lately, but I hope that changes soon. I have a few more favors to make for Sara's baby shower on Saturday and then I can probably loosen up a bit and do some "real sewing". Back to back double shifts kind of put the brakes on my sewing production, besides making me tired! Soon as the family gets up I'll fire up the embroidery machine and get after those tea totes for the shower...it's back to work tomorrow. That's one nice thing about doubles...three days and your work week is done! Later...

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

I have a new passion. The Eugene Half marathon was amazing! I approached the event with all the bravado and confidence I could muster, but really in my heart of hearts I was concerned worried that I hadn't trained properly and wouldn't be able to keep up. I'm happy to report that was not the case and it was more fun than I imagined! Sure I was a little sore after it was over and there were some emotional moments like when "Meet me at the Equinox" came on the playlist right at the split (Yes, I rocked Death Cab for Cutie on my run...don't judge!) My competitive monster came out and Sara had to keep reminding me to run my race and not worry about anyone else. I still wanted to pass people. I don't hold any illusions of winning the thing...I just want to do better. Okay, it was my first...I'll do better next time. Here we are:

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Guess where we are heading this morning? Hopefully the regularly scheduled sewing will resume soon. Next week's work schedule will be a little grueling, and I must whip out the tea tote favors for the baby shower, but maybe after that I can whip out some maternity things for Sara. The May BurdaStyle has an adorable maxi # 113 that I think I can adapt to maternity. We bought some tops and a nice dress pant the other day, but only one dress. Come summer dresses will be more comfortable for sure. Well, the shower stopped so it's my turn to get ready...see you on the other side!